Suspension system for variably located points

ABSTRACT

Embodiments disclosed herein describe a suspension system. The suspension system includes a substrate comprising a horizontal portion; a rail disposed on a top face of the horizontal portion of the substrate; one or more attachment points attaching the substrate to the rail; and a variable suspension point slidably attached to the rail, where a window of movement of the variable suspension point is provided along the rail and between the one or more attachment points.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/343,428, filed May 18, 2022, which is incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Acoustic control structures are placed in an environment in order to control acoustic reflections within that environment. In certain embodiments, these acoustic control structures are suspended from an above structure (i.e., a ceiling or other fixture attached to the ceiling) of the environment at various locations. Suspension of the acoustic control structure from an above structure requires precise location of mounting points on both acoustic control structure and the above structure relative to each other. Often, the mounting points located on an acoustic control structure are fixed with little ability to change (i.e., holes drilled in concrete decking, the centerline of a drop ceiling t-grid rail, the slot of a Unistrut) or as a project progresses, field conditions change from what was originally planned (plumbing, HVAC placed in the way of originally planned suspension location). This puts the onus of adjustability on the acoustic control structure although integrating product-level adjustability can be difficult.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an interior assembly of an acoustic control structure with variable located suspension points, in accordance with particular embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the acoustic control structure of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 presents a cross-sectioned view of the acoustic control structure of FIG. 1 ; and

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of an assembly of an acoustic control structure with variable located suspension points, in accordance with particular embodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an acoustic control structure with variable located suspension points, as shown and described. FIG. 1 illustrates an end portion of an acoustic control structure 100 with a variable suspension point 102 (i.e., wire rope gripper 102). The variable suspension point 102 is adjustably attached to a fabricated rail 104 such that the variable suspension point 102 may slide axially along the fabricated rail 104. The adjustability of the location of the variable suspension point 102 axially along the fabricated rail 104 allows installation adaptability of the acoustic control structure 100 to field conditions of the environment where the acoustic control structure 100 is installed.

As an aside, while only the single variable suspension point 102 is illustrated, embodiments are contemplated that include more than one variable suspension point 102 engaged with the rail 104. In this regard, multiple points of attachment can be made between the acoustic control structure 100 and the environment where it is installed.

In the illustrated embodiment, the rail 104 is attached to a sew-able substrate 106, which is a semi-rigid fibrous body supporting the rail 104. Because the sew-able substrate 106 is flexible, the rail 104 provides a rigid support structure for the acoustic control structure 100. In certain embodiments, the sew-able substrate 106 is made of acoustic dampening material such that sound waves from the environment are not reflected off the sew-able substrate 106.

The sew-able substrate 106 is attached underneath the rail 104 at attachment point 108 a to provide support to the rail 104. In the illustrated embodiment, the attachment between the sew-able substrate 106 and the rail 104 is achieved via strip 108. In certain embodiments, the strip 108 may be a reinforced, adhesive backed strip such as a fiber-reinforced adhesive strip. However, in yet other embodiments, other attachment mechanisms are contemplated such as non-reinforced adhesive strip, adhesive-less strips, adhesive gels/glues, etc.

While FIG. 1 illustrates only a single attachment point 108 a via the strip 108, in other embodiments, multiple discrete attachment points between the sew-able substrate 106 and the rail 104 may be provided. In these embodiments, because the strip 108 wraps around both the rail 104 and the sew-able substrate 106, windows of slidability for the variable suspension points (i.e., variable suspension point 102) are provided along the rail 104 and between the various attachment points (i.e., attachment point 108). FIG. 1 illustrates a single such window 104 a along which the variable suspension point 102 may slidably adjust. By sliding the variable suspension point 102 along the rail 104 within the window 104 a, the suspension point 102 of the acoustic control structure 100 can be moved to accommodate an immovable fixture within the environment (i.e., plumbing, HVAC placed in the way of originally planned suspension location, etc.).

The acoustic control structure 100 further includes sound dampening panels 110 and 112 attached on either side of the rail 104 and sew-able substrate 106. In the illustrated embodiment, the sew-able substrate 106 is formed from a single piece of material that includes a horizontal portion 106 a and a first vertical portion 106 b, and a second vertical portion (not illustrated), where the rail 104 sits within a pocket 106 c formed at a top portion of the horizontal portion 106 a and between the first vertical portion 106 b and the second vertical portion (not illustrated) of the sew-able substrate 106. The sound dampening panels 110 and 112 are made from a semi-rigid fibrous material similar to the sew-able substrate 106 such that a stack up (i.e., sound dampening panel 110, sew-able substrate 106, and sound dampening panel 112) can then be sewn through thereby creating a sewn bond between the sound dampening panels 110 and 112 and the sew-able substrate 106.

As an aside, while the second vertical portion of the sew-able substrate 106 is not illustrated in FIG. 1 , it is structurally similar to the vertical portion 106 b. Indeed, the second vertical portion is essentially the mirror image of the vertical portion 106 b but attached to an opposite end of the horizontal portion 106 a from the end of the horizontal portion 106 a attached to the vertical portion 106 b.

In certain embodiments, the sound dampening panels 110 and 112 can be sewn along either the horizontal portion 106 a or the vertical portion 106 b or both in order to form this bond of fibrous materials. Accordingly, in the illustrated embodiment, once the sound dampening panels 110 and 112 are sewn to the sew-able substrate 106, the adhesive strips 108 attach to the sew-able substrate 106 to capture the rail 104 within the pocket 106 c.

As an aside, while the illustrated embodiment utilizes strip 108 to attach the rail 104 and sew-able substrate 106, other such attachment structures are contemplated. For instance, in certain embodiments, a cloth pocket or loop may be formed such that the rail 104 may be inserted into the loop or pocket and the cloth pocket or loop may then be sewn to the sew-able substrate 106 in order to secure the rail 104 to the sew-able substrate 106 at multiple attachment points, such as attachment point 108 a. In this manner, windows within which the variable suspension point 102 may slide are created similar to the illustrated embodiment. Yet further attachment mechanisms are contemplated.

In the illustrated embodiment, underneath the horizontal portion 106 a and adjacent to the vertical portion 106 b, an interior space 114 is created between the sound dampening panels 110 and 112. In certain embodiments, the interior space 114 is a hollow space, while in other embodiments, other structures may be contained with the interior space 114 such as further sound dampening fibrous material or one or more lighting elements such as a Light Emitting Diode (LED).

Further, while the illustrated embodiment includes three layers (i.e., the rail 104/sewable substrate 106, the sound dampening panel 110, and the sound dampening panel 112), more than three layers are contemplated. For instance, additional sound dampening layers beyond 110 and 112 may be provided in order to increase the number of layers to four, five, or even more layers. This discussion of a number of layers does not contemplate the strip 108 as being included in the layer count.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of an exterior of the acoustic control structure 100. In the illustrated embodiment, the rail 104 and sew-able substrate 106 are not visible because they are covered by the sound dampening panels 110 and 112. Window 104 a is provided within which the variable suspension point 102 may be laterally adjusted along the length of the acoustic control structure 100. By sliding the variable suspension point 102 within the window 104 a, the suspension point 102 of the acoustic control structure 100 can be moved to accommodate an immovable fixture within the environment (i.e., plumbing, HVAC placed in the way of originally planned suspension location, etc.). In this manner, an attachment point between the acoustic control structure 100 and the environment where it is installed can be adjusted to accommodate fixtures within the environment that would otherwise prevent locating the acoustic control structure 100 at a potentially desirable location within the environment.

FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-section view of the acoustic control structure 100 including the variable suspension point 102, the rail 104 and the sew-able substrate 106. The suspension point 102 includes a suspension wire 302 attached to a moveable suspension body 304. At an opposite end of the suspension body 304 from where the suspension wire 302 is attached, a rail bearing 306 is provided. The rail bearing 306 includes a bearing head 306 a that is attached to the suspension body 304 through a post 306 b, where the post 306 b is thinner than the bearing head 306 a.

The rail 104 includes an upper cavity in the form of a rail shaft raceway 308 that runs axially along an upper portion of the rail 104. The rail shaft raceway 308 forms a cavity with an opening 308 a at a top portion that runs along a length of the rail 104. The cavity of the rail shaft raceway 308 is wide enough to accommodate the bearing head 306 a of the rail bearing 306, but the opening 308 a is wide enough such that it can accommodate the post 306 b but not the bearing head 306 a. In this manner, when the rail bearing 306 is inserted into the rail shaft raceway 308 of the rail 104, the variable suspension point 102 is slidably attached to the rail 104. Accordingly, the variable suspension point 102 may slide along the window of the rail 104 that contains the rail bearing 306.

In the illustrated embodiment, the rail 104 further includes a lower cavity 310 that is empty. In certain embodiments, the lower cavity 310 may be utilized to hold the sew-able substrate 106 so to join the rail 104 to the sew-able substrate 106. In these embodiments, the window of rail 104 that accommodates the variable suspension point 102 may extend an entire length of the rail 104.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of an assembly of an acoustic control structure with variable located suspension points 400, in accordance with particular embodiments of the disclosure. Acoustic control structure 400 includes variable suspension points 402 a and 402 b, a rail 404, a sew-able substrate 406 (forming a pocket 406 c), strip 408 a, 408 b, and 408 c (creating windows of slidability 404 a and 404 b), sound dampening panels 410 and 412, and interior space 414. Each of the listed structure operates similarly to corresponding to similar structure shown in FIG. 1-3 . For the sake of brevity, this operation will not be described but rather reference is made to the earlier description of this corresponding structure.

In contrast with the acoustic control structure 100, acoustic control structure 400 includes a sew-able substrate 406 that does not include corresponding structure to the vertical portion 106 b of the sew-able structure 106 of FIGS. 1-3 . Rather, the sew-able substrate 406 consists of a single horizontal piece of sew-able substrate.

With respect to each of FIGS. 1-4 , in certain embodiments, the sound dampening panels 110/112 and 410/412 may be made from separate sew-able substrates and sewn together through the sew-able substrate 106/406. However, in other embodiments, the sound dampening panels 110/112 and 410/412 are created from a single piece of sew-able substrate folded at fold 120/420 such that the two panels are formed from a single structure as shown in FIGS. 1-4 .

As an aside, the attachment between the sew-able substrate 106/406 and the rail 104/404 being achieved via the strip 108/408 is not required. Rather, the strip 108/408 may be used as an aide during manufacturing, in certain embodiments. In other embodiments, the rail 104/404 may be located within the pocket 106 c/406 c without the aid of the strip 108/408. In these embodiments, the rail 104/404 may be retained within the pocket 106 c/406 c via other structures such as an adhesive-less strip(s).

As used herein, semi-rigid fibrous panel made from sew-able substrates may be any sew-able fibrous body capable of being sewn to another similar such material. For instance, sew-able substrates may include non-woven felts (e.g., architectural acoustic panels and PET), soft plastics/rubbers, foams of varying density whether synthetic or natural, or any other such similar material.

All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and “at least one” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The use of the term “at least one” followed by a list of one or more items (for example, “at least one of A and B”) is to be construed to mean one item selected from the listed items (A or B) or any combination of two or more of the listed items (A and B), unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.

Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. 

1. A suspension system comprising: a substrate comprising a horizontal portion; a rail disposed on a top face of the horizontal portion of the substrate; one or more attachment points attaching the substrate to the rail; and a variable suspension point slidably attached to the rail, wherein a window of movement of the variable suspension point is provided along the rail and between the one or more attachment points.
 2. The suspension system of claim 1, wherein the substrate is made from a sew-able fibrous material.
 3. The suspension system of claim 1, wherein the one or more attachment points are fiber-reinforced adhesive strips or adhesive-less strips.
 4. The suspension system of claim 1, wherein the rail comprises a rail shaft raceway forming a cavity running axially along a length of the rail; wherein the variable suspension point comprises a suspension bearing slidably disposed within the rail shaft raceway.
 5. The suspension system of claim 4, wherein the variable suspension point comprises a suspension body attached to the suspension bearing at a first end of the suspension body; and wherein the variable suspension point comprises a suspension wire attached to the suspension body at a second end of the suspension body.
 6. The suspension system of claim 5, wherein the suspension wire is configured to be attached to an anchor point for the suspension system.
 7. An acoustic control structure comprising: a suspension system comprising: a substrate comprising a horizontal portion; a rail disposed on a top face of the horizontal portion of the substrate; one or more attachment points attaching the substrate to the rail; and a variable suspension point slidably attached to the rail; a first sound dampening panel; and a second sound dampening panel, wherein a window of movement of the variable suspension point is provided along the rail and between the one or more attachment points, and wherein the first sound dampening panel, the second sound dampening panel, and the substrate are sewn together.
 8. The suspension system of claim 7, wherein the substrate is made from a sew-able fibrous material.
 9. The suspension system of claim 7, wherein the one or more attachment points are fiber-reinforced adhesive strips or adhesive-less strips.
 10. The suspension system of claim 7, wherein the rail comprises a rail shaft raceway forming a cavity running axially along a length of the rail; wherein the variable suspension point comprises a suspension bearing slidably disposed within the rail shaft raceway.
 11. The suspension system of claim 10, wherein the variable suspension point comprises a suspension body attached to the suspension bearing at a first end of the suspension body; and wherein the variable suspension point comprises a suspension wire attached to the suspension body at a second end of the suspension body.
 12. The suspension system of claim 11, wherein the suspension wire is configured to be attached to an anchor point for the suspension system. 